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DIGITAL EDITOR ANDREW STOY: The effects of Volkswagen's decontenting are on full display in this 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE, an otherwise very nice compact crossover. Yes, it has Volkswagen's lovely 2.0-liter direct-injected turbo engine, all-wheel drive and Teutonic driving dynamics. But the as-tested price of more than $33k is notable for what buyers don't get.

The Tiguan lacks automatic climate control, a rearview camera and automatic headlights, for example. The e-nanny fans (and in this segment there are many) will note the absence of blind-spot warning, cross-traffic alert and backup sensors.

“So what?” many of our enthusiast readers will say, and to some extent I agree. But against fierce, fully kitted competition in the segment, Volkswagen is bringing a proverbial knife to the gunfight.

Buyers do get the aforementioned engine and outstanding road manners, plus an enormous panoramic moonroof. But the Tiguan still has an annoying habit of diving into the highest gear tolerable as soon as possible, resulting in some lugging and vibration from the powertrain. Despite that, this relatively light crossover only manages 23 mpg combined on premium fuel.

So why is Volkswagen peddling an expensive, thirsty, Spartan crossover? It'll probably help sell more Jettas.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR ROGER HART: There is certainly a group of buyers out there who want all-wheel drive and think they need a sport/ute. That's sort of where the whole crossover thing started. Basically, what people want is a station wagon, but for most people, station wagons aren't cool. So we ended up with a growing segment of crossovers, and the Tiguan fits right in. I would agree that for $33,000, you'd think things like a full-power seat, climate control and a backup camera would be standard. Well, they're not here in this VW, but what is included is quite nice. The interior design is pleasing with the dual round air vents on either side of the steering wheel, a nice feature that delivers a ton of air to the driver. The radio, heat and navigation controls are all simple and straight-forward.

The little turbo four is a smooth operator, but takes a bit to get everything moving, and the six-speed automatic transmission does upshift quickly to get it into high gear as soon as possible. You can manually select the gears if you like to try and outsmart the computer, but if you get high enough in the rev range it will upshift for you.

Overall, the Tiguan is a handsome ride, with a pleasing, comfortable, straight-forward interior. While I was driving this, I kept thinking how much more I'd like it if VW's 2.0-liter diesel were underhood.

NEWS EDITOR GREG MIGLIORE: The Tiguan is a solid crossover with a pleasing demeanor inside and out. The lack of power amenities and safety extras, as others note, is a considerable drawback for this sticker. To me, that's a correctable flaw that doesn't detract too much from the overall elegance and utility this thing exudes.

The interior looks premium, and the black-and-tan color scheme is spot-on for my taste. The materials, especially the dashboard (believe it or not) really feel upscale and present well. The vents, dials and trim all work in cohesive fashion. I found the steering to be pleasingly light, yet perfect for around-town maneuvers. There is a bit of weight when moving past the 10-and-2 positions. The chassis is comfy yet not overly soft, and the drive character is controlled in corners and when pushed slightly. The looks are decent, too, punctuated with a bold grille and sharp styling. I like this engine. It's torquey, builds the revs quickly and makes for energetic driving on surface streets and the expressway.

My advice to VW would be to slightly load this thing up with some of the latest newfangled electronics and safety features. Otherwise, I enjoyed my night in the Tiguan.

SENIOR ART DIRECTOR CHERYL L. BLAHNIK: I couldn't help but get over the feeling that this Volkswagen Tiguan seemed to fit me just right. It's comfortable without being too hard or too soft, and the size is perfect for small families.

In the cabin, the fit and finish look good, and as Greg mentioned, the materials felt somewhat upscale and not cheap. The exterior could use a more muscular body because it looks too soft, blending in with the rest of the crowd in what is a very crowded small-SUV segment.

And for $33k, it's a little pricey. Its ride and handling are better than a lot of the competition, and there's plenty of pep from the turbo four-cylinder. It just needs a more aggressive exterior to help bring more people into VW showrooms to check it out.

EDITOR WES RAYNAL: Theoretically, this would be a great car for me. It's right sized, that is to say a handy size with space for stuff when you need it; and there's decent power—it checks off a lot of boxes for me. Unfortunately for VW, I drove a Ford Escape with a 1.6-liter turbo and sticker price $5,000 less than this not too long ago. It felt nearly as fast, handled just as well, and was way more refined and quiet on the road. I would vastly prefer that car at $27K than this at $33K.

As I've experienced with Tiguans before, I can't quite get comfortable in these things—can't get the driving position right. Close, but not perfect. It's not that the seats themselves are uncomfortable; they're fine for the most part. But they just seemed either too high or too low.

Other than that, this is a solid, mostly well-built little ute with good power from the turbo four and a decent ride/handling mix from the Golf-based platform. The Tiguan borders on flingable, but then again so did the Escape for a lot less money.

I have beefs with the powertrain, too. I like the engine, but the six-speed automatic is a bit of a turnoff. It is fine from stops, but quickly upshifts when cruising and the four-cylinder turbo lopes along crudely. I could just put it in sport, or manual mode I suppose, and stop whining.

Overall, nothing jumps out as outstanding on this VW. As I've said before, the car says “decent,” but doesn't say “excellent.”

ASSOCIATE EDITOR DAVID ARNOUTS: My night in this 2012 Volkswagen Tiguan SE left me feeling this compact crossover is comfortably adequate. The interior wasn't unpleasant, although I was surprised, like others, at the lack of a full-power seat, backup camera and blind-spot-warning device—especially when it is equipped with an iPod cable, satellite radio and seat warmers.

The direct-injection 2.0-liter powerplant helps the Tiguan hum along just fine, never feeling underpowered, but the transmission with its early shifting and delayed drop-down to accelerate shifts made it feel mismatched. In those high gears at low speeds some rather unnatural noises would emit from the bowels of the car, reminiscent of a tire problem. Not overly concerning, just unnatural.

On the transmission, the sport mode is more responsive, but I would hardly assign any sport nomenclature to a vehicle like this. It rides the gears higher than the drive mode, helping to keep the engine in its power band. The best option would be to use the sport mode for accelerating, passing and city driving. But once out on the long stretch of highway, put it into drive mode to help boost fuel mileage.

The gauges and user interface have a very Audi-like look and are clean and functional. It wasn't hard to pair my iPhone, or use the interface. The temperature controls took more than just a glance to make sure I wasn't going to blow hot air, and the seat warmers on low registered nary a BTU according to my back-side thermometer.

The exterior is very VW to my eyes. It's clean with a dash of bland. This isn't a bad thing, and many may cry foul, but in all honesty this little CUV blends in well and does a perfectly adequate job.